8 Ways To Manage Someone You Don't Like

It's important to realize that you don't actually need
to like an employee's personality.Dell
Inc./flickr

As a manager, you ideally want to work with employees who are
pleasant and agreeable, but of course you're going to have some
you simply don't like.

If these employees
have proven their worth, then you're going to have to adjust
your management style for your sanity and your team's overall
productivity.

Here are eight ways you can establish a better working
relationship with even the most annoying employee.

Accept that you don't need to be friends with all of your
employees.

Understand that there is a line between business and your
personal life, and it can actually be helpful to put some
emotional distance between you and the people who report to you.
As Stanford University professor Robert Sutton told the Harvard
Business Review, "From a performance standpoint, liking the
people you manage too much is a bigger problem than liking them
too little." Some friction can even allow your team to rethink
the way it functions.

Figure out why they bother you.

Do they irritate you because of how they communicate? Are they
too aggressive or maybe not aggressive enough? Once you determine
exactly what makes them so irritating to you, you will be able to
determine how to properly manage them. It's important to remember
that you
can't change an employee's personality, but you can change
the way you deal with that personality.

Remain positive with them.

Employees
want their bosses to like them. Maintain a professional,
cordial relationship with even the most irritating team members.
This will help maintain your focus on the task in front of you,
as well as help prevent further conflict.

Focus on how they benefit your team.

If you've already determined that this employee is talented
enough to retain, then focus on what makes them valuable rather
than how annoying they can be. If their quirks have been clashing
with their current role, then
figure out if they can be serving you better. For example,
over-achievers who get caught up on perfecting their work can
probably handle more tasks.

Don't let emotions hinder your leadership.

Do not let their irksome habits influence the way you
treat them or evaluate
their work. You can help your objectivity by trying to understand
where they are coming from, management expert Victor Lipman
writes on Forbes.

Be upfront.

Only accept an employee's bothersome traits to a point. Do not
let your kindness cause them to push you around, says
Fast Track columnist Anita Bruzzese.
If this employee's brash attitude or tendency to whine about
assignments, for example, is bringing down the team, then let
them know. Be specific about the problematic behaviors, and
suggest some alternate ways of doing things.

Work closely with them.

While counterintuitive, studies show that working on difficult
projects can build affinity among coworkers, Sutton told Harvard
Business Review. If you give your problem employee the chance
to prove their worth, then you may be less inclined to become
annoyed with them at work, even if you still won't be inviting
them to a barbeque anytime soon.